Overview

Iron Tager is a Sector Seven professor who has been mechanically enhanced to perform field-work. Originally the leader of a Sector Seven assault team sent to retrive Nirvana in the 4th Hierarchical City of Naobi, Tager suffered a mortal wound during the mission, and due to being the only survivor, was forced to withdraw. He was revived as an enormous cyborg by Kokonoe, whom he pledged loyalty to afterward. After his revival, he bears a similar resemblance to a demon, which resulted in him dubbed as the "Red Devil of Sector Seven". He is feared by many, but in truth he is very calm and calculated, only engaging in violence when necessary.

Drive: Voltic Battler

Tager can magnetize opponents for a small duration by landing these attacks on hit or block. If the opponent is already magnetized and gets hit by a magnetism attack, the duration increases (max 960F). When the opponent is magnetized, certain attacks will pull in the opponent. The magnetism duration normally reduces at a rate of 1 point per frame, but if Tager is taking damage, the rate changes to 1 point per 2 frames (when Tager performs a tech, the rate goes back to normal). Magnetism duration does not decrease during superflash or hitstop.

In addition to magnetism, Tager has an extra gauge: the Spark Bolt Gauge. This gauge fills up at 1 point per frame (freezes during hitstop and superflash) and has a maximum of 1200 points. When the gauge is full, Tager can use the Spark Bolt attack.

Overdrive: Voltic Field

Magnetized opponents are constantly pulled towards Tager, His drive moves all gain projectile guardpoints (As well as attribute specific guardpoints depending on the move) and the Spark Bolt Gauge fills up quicker.

Pros/Strengths

Highest health total in the game.

Really good close range game

High damage command grabs

High meter gain on magnetized opponents

High level pokes for easy confirms

Fairly large hitbox moves

Backdash has many invincible frames, useful for getting out of nasty situations

Very effective at punishes

Possesses the fastest projectile in the game

Cons/Weaknesses

Big hit box, allowing for easy fuzzy/unblockable setups

Lack of mobility

Has trouble against zoners

Spark Bolt not always accessible

Gameplay revolves around corner and magnetized opponents

Requires knowledge and a lot of patience to win at high levels

Magnetized foes can sometimes work against you, pulling foes in to confirm an attack they might have whiffed otherwise

5C

Tager's best P1/P2 combination at 100/92 making it the best opener for DD combos.

Can combo into itself on air and ground counterhit.

A decent poke, an excellent starter if you land in and also a nice high damage combo filler, basically everything you want in a 5C with the exception that if often pushes the opponent away too far for comboing followups unless it's a counterhit.

2B

After doing 2B > 5B >2B you cannot cancel into 5B again for that string.

In previous iterations, 5B and 2B were pretty interchangable, however 2B's use has now moved from being a combo tool to being a very safe low poke when up close. It has a very nice frame advantage making it ideal for setting up Wedge catapault attempts and other shenanigans. Relatively short range

6A

Move is attractive to magnetised opponents throughout its startup and active frames, including if you delay the move.

Groundslides* opponent on hit.

Has Super Armor throughout the charge animation against non-low attacks.

Tager's only normal that can cancel into his command throws.

Tager's 6A is a very good all-purpose tool. It brings the opponent closer to him, allowing him to start close range pressure and grab mixup. It also is a very good combo tool that causes groundslide and combos into 6B for oki and 2C-Collider for additional damage.

This move also has a strange property where the ground-sliding animation and untech time lasts MUCH longer when the opponent is hit by this at a low height. The untech time is long enough to allow combos of all kinds, as major examples, if you get the long-untech time version, 6A will combo into B sledge, 6C, and Crush Trigger, allowing a lot of combo possibilities. It's advised to use this only at the beginning of combos, using this at the end of them where proration is high is ill-advised.

Max Charge

1000

SOR

HL

52

7

37

-27

-

Charging 6A simply extends the armor frames and attractive time allows you to delay the attack for a bit more damage. Charging fully is generally useless, except if you read that a hit is coming and you want to guard point through it. Charging 6A gives a bit more hitstun to confirm the hit with, but doesn't open up any more combo paths other than a very strict 6[A] CH > 360B which is basically impossible to confirm.

6B

Now forces crouching on standing hit allowing combos into, and out of, A sledge

Hard knockdown on air hit. Combos into A Sledge and Gadget finger but not 2C in this instance.

Has Foot invulnerabity on start-up, allowing you to counter low hitting pressure.

Moves Tager forward slightly

An important but overlooked move in Tager's arsenal outside of combos. Given that nothing else in Tager's arsenal with foot invulnerability, and Tager has many guard point moves that fail against low attacks, you'll find a lot of players will try long reaching low pokes at neutral that this will beat out.

Drive Moves

5D

A big poke used to get magnetism in neutral. Causes the enemy to be magnetised and also attracts magnetised opponents during startup and active frames. Special cancellable on hit or block, not jump cancelable.

On grounded counterhit, opponent is staggered for quite some time. If they're not at max range, it's possible to link into Wedge Catapault for a massive damage combo.

On air counterhit, opponent is blown away and floorslides. Followups are only possible with spark bolt, unless you're near the corner, where you can use B sledge. Hitting your opponent into the corner while they're very high up with 5D allows 6C to be used as well.

Gains Body and Projectile guard point during overdrive.

Tager's 5D is one of his more important tools. It is an all around useful normal, which can be used in combos, a long range big poke, counter hit fishing (trying to force a counter hit), sometimes also for frame traps and as a situational anti-air. However, overusing 5D too much will lead to painful CH combos against Tager because of its slow speed, so use but don't abuse. If used as a combo ender, it's worth cancelling into voltic charge to get a free boost to your spark bolt meter.

2D

2D

Be careful of using this move. Whiffing this move can result in unwanted situations.

Applies a shorter magnetism than all other drive moves (4 seconds as opposed to 6).

Followups only possible on counterhit, and even then usually not be possible, leads to surprisingly good damage due to a nice P1 and P2. Worth RCing if you can react to the counterhit to capitalise on the damage.

j.D

A slow move with huge untechable time. Causes opponent to be magnetized.

Magnetises and is attractive on magnetised opponents, can easily stuff up air spacing.

Often used in Fatal Counter combos, or after 6C for combos.

Does not combo after Tager's other moves without a counterhit, with the exception of j.C on fatal counter combos.

Tager's j.D is a situational move that can be used to control airspace, but Tager is usually grounded throughout the match, so it's seldom used in this fashion. However, j.D is an amazing move for combos because it has so much untechable time that Tager will usually be able to land and continue with a ground combo, even in slightly high hitstun reduction.

Back Throw

Similar to forward throw and with the same comparisons to 360A, however is not special cancellable. Your opponent isn't bounced away very far however, allowing you to follow up with 5B or, more ideally, a low sliding 6A > 6C.

Counter Assault

Sometimes the only way to end the endless pressure games you often face, particularly from low air dashes. Use it to disrupt the flow of your opponent and get back to neutral, where you often have the advantage.

Despite its appearance, the hitbox for the move extends all of the way down to Tager's feet, preventing it from being low-profiled.

Compared to previous versions of Tager, the Gigantic Tager Driver has been streamlined from two versions into just one. Consequently, this variation is about as fast as his old B version Driver, but does the same damage as his classic A Driver. The 6 frame startup means it can be used as a reversal, especially after tech rolling past the opponent, but this is risky and you can get easily blown up if the opponent goes airborne or tries for a meaty and catches you before the invulnerability window. As with all of Tager's meterless grabs, you'll want to follow this up with Gadget Finger.

Combo throw, does not incur purple !! marks if used during blockstun or a combo and benefits from the 10% damage bonus on counterhits. Does not have 100% minimum damage.

Untech time lasts until the opponent hits the floor

Poor P1, but excellent P2.

Wedge Catapult is Tager's new command throw in CF, replacing the B version Tager Driver. It sees most usage as a tool for punishing and even an anti-jump in due to the generous invulnerability window between frames 6-30. However it has a slow, 30 frame startup, and 30 frames of recovery, meaning that abusing it or whiffing it will lead to eating a painful punish.

Wedge, like Atomic Collider, doesn't purple throw mid-combo, meaning that you can use it as a combo tool in some situations (After a 5D standing Counterhit for example). As a starter, it allows for followup combos with 6c or a delayed 5c, though the overall damage from a combo with Wedge as the starter is somewhat low. The Catapult itself prevents the opponent from teching whilst they're spinning in midair, meaning that until they hit the ground there's no way to get away from the follow-up combo, or the follow-up, Impact Driver. Which route you go will depend largely on positioning, as the move causes side-swap.

Whilst it's not a great move to use on wakeup, you can use Wedge immediately after Gadget Finger to punish players who don't respect your grabs and remain grounded. No one is safe from Russian science!

Opponent is returned to the same side they were on when Wedge catapault grabbed them

Can be cancelled into Gadget Finger during the final recovery frames.

The impact driver followup is seldom used due to combos from Wedge Catapault causing more damage. However it is unburstable and will always connect at any point in a combo, so if you manage to get wedge catapault late in a combo, or when your opponent is very low on life, you can use impact driver as a solid round ender. Can only be followed up with gadget finger.

Air Gigantic Tager Driver

Has no invulnerability like it's grounded equivalent, but since magnetism is much more strongly attractive on airborne opponents, it doesn't tend to need it.

Tager is stationary in the air throughout the move, and loses all air momentum.

Cannot be special cancelled into.

On magnetised opponents, can drag them across the entire screen, potentially punishing some air moves

Cannot hit grounded opponents, but will still pull them along the floor.

An interesting tool that can be used to surprise opponents at long distance, giving similar damage to a meterless raw AC combo and making them afraid to jump. Do be careful since, just like Atomic Collider, opponents using superjumps and airdashes can cause them to overshoot and get a free hit on you. If your opponent is magnetised you can use it after a throw reject (either way) to suck them back in for a rather american reset.

While being a throw, it does not incur purple !! marks if used in a combo and will benefit from the 10% bonus damage from counter hits. Does not have 100% minimum damage

Combo staple due to its huge damage. Also frequently used on a miss to flick opponents into the air after 3C.

Followups possible with 5A, but only early in the combo, otherwise go for Gadget Finger.

RC 6C > ... also leads to big damage if AC is done early in the combo.

Switches sides on hit.

Atomic collider is a move that will add good damage to any combo, however it is often not possible to follow up with anything other than Gadget Finger, meaning you'll generally want to add this in at the end of your combos. Very early on you can use 5A > jA > jB > jC > Crimson Punish, with an RC you can use 6C and on fatal counter 5A > 5C > 5D will work early in the combo. Be willing to use a different combo that does not use this move if you want to keep your opponent in the corner (And you likely do)

3C and Atomic collider have a special property where your opponent is considered to have been downed in the combo the instant these attacks connect.

Now actually has enough advantage to followup with 5A on certain characters, and even more on Fatal.

100% minimum damage. Fixed 5% heat gain.

Tager's Gadget Finger is as good as ever, and still used for a lot of things. The most obvious use is to use this as an okizeme tool. It's fast enough to combo after his command grabs, both after 360A, or 360Bx2, giving him easy pressure afterward, albeit one that can be disrespected with Overdrive, DP's and EA. However, with the right conditioning and setup, they won't dare to do so.

However, a smart player quickly notices that Gadget Finger allows much more than this option. For starters, it actually has infinite untech time, which leads into two things : it allows the now infamous Timeout Tager loop (or "the circus"), or for new gimmicky combos.

The timeout is done by doing Gadget Finger, rapid-cancelling it and repeatedly doing whiffed Air Drivers (360C). This is much harder than it sounds, and must be done with great care to not launch the opponent too far away, or too high for another successful Driver whiff. If done correctly, with 100 meter, it can easily grant Tager a timeout win even when a lot of time is remaining in the match.

The combos that GF grant in this version aren't so well known. Even though GF drops farther back now, it actually had it's advantage after it increased, now allowing Tager to followup with 5A on characters like Arakune, Susanoo and another Tager. Fatal Counter allows GF > Spark Bolt on pretty much anyone, 5B on Tager, 5A > 3C on larger and wonky hitbox characters and even allows GF RC > 360B if the combo started with an FC. These combo paths however are more on the impractical side of the spectrum so it's better not to use them in serious gameplay.

Overall, with the new timeout and combos it gives, GF became a much more useful and threatening tool, while it's okizeme potential is left unchanged (it's harder to maintain it though due to the bigger distance between Tager and the enemy). Smart use of this move will pay off incredibly well, a 700-800 damage at the end of any combo via 360Bx2 isn't that bad either!

Voltec Charge

Used during long distance standoffs to charge up your spark bolt. Can be held to extend duration. Spark bolt gain is only added after the guard point ends and is lost if you get successfully attacked.

On a successful guard point, you can use Additional attack to punish it. In this instance Voltic charge loses its bonus spark bolt gain.

A special move, therefore other moves can be cancelled into this to bait bursts.

Blocks as if you were using a standing guard, and also all projectiles (Therefore will block low projectiles).

Due to the slow nature of cancelling into additional attack, which also only has a standing and projectile guard, your opponent can notice they've hit your guard point and simply cancel their blockstring into a low hit and score and easy counter hit on you. Therefore this is inadvisble to use to trap grounded attacks unless you're doing a hard read on a reversal (which typically don't hit low). Useful against air jump ins however, but beware of crossup attacks, even if your opponent has completely crossed over by the time you start using 236A, Tager will not change facing and will therefore do the additional attack the wrong way.

Spark Bolt

A hugely threatening move just by its existence. Spark bolt exists to punish and take down people who like to hide at max distance spamming attacks.

Requires a full Spark bolt guage to fire, consumes all of it. Charges three times as fast during Overdrive.

Wall bounces on hit, allowing combos from any range.

Can be used to extend combos.

Destroys most projectiles and is absurdly fast to start up and travel.

A key tool for Tager, since once you have it available you have the means to counter pretty much any whiffed poke and any big and slow long ranged move. Therefore don't throw it away recklessly! Hold onto it and use that looming threat to keep your opponent playing cautiously at range, allowing you to close in via other means.

Crimson Punisher

Two stage attack, if the initial arm sweep hits, his opponent is hit straight down with a hard knockdown and Tager immediately follows up with a bellyflop on the stricken opponent.

Disables bursts on hit.

During the initial arm sweep, Tager is launched slightly upwards and forwards, enabling it to easily hit enemies slightly above him due to air hits, but also makes hitting it on standing opponents very tricky.

Air combo finisher with big damage. Can be Rapid cancelled on either hit, although this is only worth doing early in the combo.

Can only be used once per jump.

Using as you come down from a super jump and following with 5b can bait anti-air and gives you a crossup jump-in option

Can be used as a reversal due to its guard point (Which guards high, low and even throws!), much safer than 720 due to being able to hit airborne opponents. But ensure you have heat left to rapid cancel should you get blocked.

Combos nicely after 6A > 2C

Final hit hits overhead, can be used as a gimmicky mixup on RC if you swap to a low hit.

Goes active on the superflash frame, meaning that your opponent cannot respond to the superflash if they're already in a valid grabbing position.

Reduced damage from previous iterations, but can still be brought up considerably with overdrive and active flow damage boosts. The initial grab, despite doing no damage, can still be enough to give you active flow.

Overdrive version also magnetises opponent in addition to dealing much more damage.